Lindley files ethics complaint against Akinyemi

Mary Ann Lindley, candidate for an at-large Leon County Commission seat, filed an ethics complaint Monday against Commissioner Akin Akinyemi, her opponent in the Nov. 6 election, saying he failed to disclose a $42,834 loan.

Lindley, in a news release, accused Akinyemi of being financially irresponsible, but Akinyemi said Lindley was playing dirty politics by filing the complaint.

In her complaint with the Florida Commission on Ethics, Lindley said Akinyemi should have listed the loan as a liability on his 2011 financial-disclosure form. Under Florida’s ethics laws, candidates for county office and county officials must disclose liabilities over $1,000. The law generally applies to individual liabilities rather than company debts.

The loan isn’t listed under liabilities on Akinyemi’s disclosure form. However, he said it was included in his calculation of the value of his business assets. His disclosure form lists stock in his firm, Akinyemi and Associates Architects, Inc., as one of his assets and puts the value at $58,413.

The loan became public last month after Capital City Bank filed a lawsuit against both Akinyemi’s architectural firm and Akinyemi individually saying it was in default. The firm borrowed the money, and Akinyemi cosigned, according to court records.

Lindley pointed out in the news release that Akinyemi was fined for a financial-disclosure violation stemming from his 2008 campaign. Akinyemi was fined $150 in 2009 for failing to disclose a savings account, a certificate of deposit and the value of his ownership in his business.

“Mr. Akinyemi was found to have broken the financial-disclosure law in his last campaign,” Lindley said. “He is required – by Florida statute – to disclose all of his financial liabilities, but he failed to do so in 2008 and he has once again failed to follow the law.”

Akinyemi called the complaint “completely groundless” and an effort to keep the lawsuit in the news.

“Why can’t she talk about what she’s going to do for Leon County?” Akinyemi asked. “What does she bring to the table? She’s never articulated what she’s going do for Leon County, and now she’s going negative.”

Lindley said she felt it was her obligation as a candidate to openly file the complaint.

“If we seek public office, we must be responsible for complying with the law,” she said.

Akinyemi said he hopes the complaint will be dismissed before the election “so it can be seen for what it is.”